Rebuilding the NTT16
So as the summer solstice approaches and I don’t use my astronomy time in my shed with a 10″ in an NEQ6 taking pictures, it’s time to start working on…
Printing Eyepiece Cases
Eyepieces need cases, but it’s expensive to buy a bunch of different sizes for different size eyepieces, particularly for 2” “hand grenade” sized eyepieces like the 18mm TeleVue Nagler and…
Kiln-ing Time During Winter
I seem to have a lot of Pyrex mirror blanks on hand and grinding it all into mirrors at the current size seems a bit of a waste. Most of…
3D Printing for Astronomers
UPDATE: I am now posting my 3D designs at: http://3.99.76.122/3d-printing-for-astronomers/ I have to say 3D printing is a mind blower. If you can envision it, work some easily learned 3D…
24″ Design Considerations
The design for the 24″ I’ve arrived at is based on the design in the image above (from an amateur in France), mounted on a trailer for easy transportation in…
Identifying the mystery glass!
I have a 24″ (609.6mm) diameter piece of unknown glass that weighs 72 lbs (32.6 kg) on the nose and is 2″ (50.8 mm) thick exactly. The ROC is 93″…
6″ F3.3 Extra Wide Field Newtonian Reflector
Since I have a couple of 6″ mirror blanks and need to get back into the mirror grinding groove for upcoming large telescope projects, I’ve started grinding a 6″ F/3.3…
NTT16 Assembly
My 16″ F/4.5 Telescope is pretty close to done – just have to mount the motors and belts, and test it all out. I built one set of electronics over…
NTT16 Progress
Sorry no pictures of the actual scope but got a lot done over the Xmas holidays, all the major components are complete, just need to debug. I had an epiphany…
Strain Analysis
Before starting to grind my 24″ project down to a more reasonable focal length I decided to test the blank for strains within the glass that would prevent it from…